Covering the Sky: The Years I Was the Empress's Strictest Master

On one side, another member of the clan who was traveling with him witnessed his uncle's passing and was devastated.

But this also made them realize that this place had become a dead end.

The most powerful Dao Palace cultivator in the group suppressed his grief, pulled up his terrified nephew, and said in a deep voice to the other equally helpless clansmen:

"Let's go! We'll go to... to the Tianchi Mountains in the Northern Region to seek help from the Chi family... No, it's best to split into two groups, one going to the Northern Region and the other... to the newly established Tianxuan Holy Land in the Southern Region!"

The survivors, as if waking from a dream, were still quite disoriented and had barely recovered. They scrambled away from the Chixia River area.

Finally,

Looking back, the mountains and rivers that were once often shrouded in crimson clouds now appeared to them like a demonic abyss that devoured life.

On their way out, they gathered the clansmen who were also away from the clan, and after a final headcount, including three half-grown children, there were now only nineteen people left.

Because they were originally just low-level cultivators in their clan, they were unaware of the current state of the Chi family.

After further discussion, they finalized the decision to split into two groups.

The group of ten headed to the old site of the Tianchi Mountains in the Northern Region to search for the Chi family members who had also returned to the Big Dipper.

Another group of nine people headed to the "Tianxuan Holy Land," which was also in the Southern Region but was about seven million miles away and had risen to prominence in recent years.

As for the Tianxuan Holy Land, given their level of understanding, they only knew that it was established by a "big shot" from the Chi family. As for anything more, including its origins and secrets, they had never had the opportunity to learn about it. This trip was completely shrouded in mystery for them...

The journey to the Tianxuan Holy Land initially involved nine people.

However, their cultivation levels were ultimately low, with the highest being only the Dao Palace Secret Realm, and they had also suffered repeated blows, leaving them restless and unsettled.

Perhaps misfortune never comes singly, as they traversed desolate mountains and wilderness, encountering several unexpected events and even stumbling into some dangerous places...

People continued to get injured, some even perished, and others were trapped in dangerous situations and forced to lose contact with the team.

When they finally approached the territory of the Tianxuan Holy Land after overcoming numerous hardships, only two of the original nine members remained.

One was a young man who was seriously injured and on the verge of death, and the other was a boy who arrived last, only eight or nine years old, with a stubborn look in his eyes.

With his last breath, the young man led the boy more than a thousand miles outside the territory of the Tianxuan Holy Land, but finally, his life force gave out, and his body fell from the clouds.

On his deathbed, he pointed to the approximate area that, even though it was within the Holy Land's territory, was still tens of thousands of miles away from the Tianxuan Mountain Gate, and said to the boy in his weakest voice:

"Go...go there...find Patriarch Tianxuan...tell her, remember, don't trust anyone else, always verify..."

Before he could finish speaking, he breathed his last.

The boy buried his cousin while crying.

Then, alone, he embarked on his long journey again, picking wild fruit when hungry, drinking from mountain springs when thirsty, and huddling under a stone cave when cold.

Fortunately, upon entering the Holy Land's territory, all the unseen chaos vanished. Without external threats, it persevered with sheer stubbornness and resilience.

It wasn't until two months later that they finally arrived, triggering a corner of the mountain gate's formation and being discovered by the disciples of the holy land.

……

"Is that how it is, senior...master?"

Although the boy, Xiang Xuan, had become thin and pale from the journey, he still spoke clearly and recounted the dramatic changes in Chixia River and the strange "disappearance" of his clansmen in a fragmented manner.

After saying that, he nervously wondered what to call Chi Xuan.

He could only open his eyes, which appeared unusually large due to exhaustion.

He gazed at the beautiful, almost inhuman fairy in the pale yellow gauze dress before him with a mixture of trepidation and hope, her aura inspiring instinctive closeness and awe.

Before her, Chi Xuan listened quietly, her beautiful face showing little expression, except for a turbulent undercurrent in the depths of her weathered eyes.

Dramatic change...

The Daoist principles of an environment that accelerates aging...

The disappearance of the entire Xiang family clan...

The warning voice of Xiang Lishi, who is suspected to have already passed away...

Anomalies deep within the Ancestral Abyss...

All the clues, like scattered beads, were strung together by Chi Xuan in her contemplation with an invisible thread, pointing to a possibility that made her heart stop!

What exactly caused the anomaly in the Xiang family ancestral home?

Although the timing didn't match her unrealistic speculation, according to the child, the initial anomalies known to the Xiang family had only occurred within the past century.

However, the warning voice of Xiang Lishi, who seemed to have already passed away, was undoubtedly not from someone who had been dying within the last hundred years.

And the time of that elder brother's passing...

"Could it be..."

The thought resurfaced in Chi Xuan's mind, and for no apparent reason, her voice trembled slightly, a tremor she herself was unaware of.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the churning surprise and a hint of indescribable excitement in her heart.

"Xiang Xuan, you did a great job, and you were very brave."

She opened her eyes, looked at the boy, and her gaze softened considerably:

"Go down with this sister and rest well. From today onwards, you are a disciple of my Tianxuan Holy Land. Until the truth is revealed, you can cultivate here in peace..."

As she spoke, she beckoned to the female disciple standing outside the cave and gave her instructions:

"Take him downstairs and settle him in properly, arrange for him to stay at..."

"Well, let's settle him in the 'Listening to the Waves Courtyard' on the outer peak for now. Provide him with the necessities according to the standards for second-generation disciples. Also, go to the alchemy room and get him a bottle of 'Nourishing Essence and Strengthening the Foundation Pill'."

"Yes, Master."

The female disciple respectfully accepted, giving Xiang Xuan a gentle smile:

"Junior brother, come with me."

Xiang Xuan nodded blankly, glanced at Chi Xuan again, and then left with the female disciple, looking back every few steps.

rustling... rustling...

After the two left, the cave returned to silence.

Chi Xuan got up, walked to the window, and looked towards the northern region.

During this time, an unknown, mysterious glint seemed to appear in her eyes, and her gaze seemed to pierce through endless space, landing on that vast expanse of mountains and rivers where the crimson glow had dissipated and everything was eerily still.

"An unknown, supreme field..."

She murmured to herself, her fingertips unconsciously caressing a warm, smooth jade at her waist:

"Brother... is it really you? If it is you, then... in what state and form... do you exist? Right there in that abyss..."

The thought stirred her emotions, yet she dared not be certain.

The image of the other party's essence being dug out during the turmoil of the past, and his body disappearing into the world, is one of the eternal pains in her heart.

However, the strange changes in Chixia River were too puzzling and full of doubts. Even though she tried to force all of this to be related to the other party, some things still didn't fit together.

"No matter what, I hope it really is you..."

Chi Xuan murmured silently.

The following day, as the founder of the Tianxuan Holy Land, she announced a short period of seclusion, but in reality, after making thorough preparations, she quietly left the Holy Land, crossed the void, and headed straight for the Southern Region of the Eastern Wilderness, the Crimson Cloud River!

wow...

In the blink of an eye, outside the Crimson Cloud River.

Chi Xuan's peerless figure stepped out from the void and hovered above the edge of the Crimson Cloud River.

Before even entering, she could clearly feel the profound Taoist aura that enveloped the entire mountain range.

With her peak Quasi-Emperor cultivation and keen spiritual senses, she was naturally able to "see" it.

Under the influence of this field, not only the flow of time in this world, or more precisely, not only the flow of the "life process," is distorted by an invisible force.

This is more like a process of evolution; once everything stabilizes, everything native to the field will return to "normal."

But the special characteristics that have already been established will not be reversed.

Before this, the ordinary cycle of growth and decay of plants, which usually occurs annually, was compressed to its extreme here.

The lifespan of birds and beasts is as fleeting as morning dew.

Even the intangible essence of heaven and earth is aging, settling, and losing its vitality at an abnormal rate.

She attempted to probe a wisp of her divine sense into the area of ​​the Crimson Cloud River.

shuh...

However, the moment that wisp of divine thought entered, it was as if it had been thrown into the torrent of the river of time, quickly becoming sluggish and disappearing in an instant!

Chi Xuan herself even felt a slight sense of fatigue, as if the "aging" of that divine thought had been reflected back to her.

"What a terrifying area! It's almost identical in terrain to those forbidden zones..."

Chi Xuan's pretty face changed slightly, and the seriousness in her eyes deepened.

This is something that ordinary dying "matter" could not have accomplished; it definitely involves a true emperor-level figure, and perhaps more than one...

However, amidst her fluctuating thoughts, she did not back down; instead, her gaze became more resolute.

Wow!

She activated her profound inner power, fully unleashing the extraordinary power of her primordial spirit body, which emitted a hazy, ethereal glow.

This miraculous power resonated with the energy of heaven and earth, forming an invisible and resilient "Daoist barrier" around her body, attempting to resist the erosion of the Daoist essence that was accelerating her aging.

clatter……

Then, she took a step and entered the territory of Chixiachuan.

hum...

In an instant, it was as if she had stepped from one world into another.

The vibrancy and life of the outside world are quickly stripped away, replaced by a sense of "twilight" where everything is rushing towards its end.

Chi Xuan could clearly feel that her own Dao principle barrier was fiercely fighting against that Dao rhythm.

Although she could temporarily withstand it with her peak Quasi-Emperor cultivation, the consequences of staying here for an extended period would be unimaginable.

She dared not delay, her figure transforming into a streak of light as she sped toward the core area of ​​Chixia River, toward the familiar ruins of the stone village she had visited several times before the turmoil.

What I saw along the way was shocking.

The vegetation withers and flourishes rapidly, the bones of birds and beasts are everywhere, and the earth exudes a heavy sense of twilight.

The rebuilt stone village was now in sight. The village gate remained exactly as it had been when they had hastily evacuated that night. The village was deserted and eerily silent, with only the howling wind, like the wailing of ghosts.

Chi Xuan paused briefly in the stone village, scanning it with her divine sense to confirm that there were no signs of life, only lingering fear and a faint aura of the Undying Golden Body bloodline in the air.

shuh...

Having gained little, her gaze finally settled on the narrow, deep entrance to the Xiang family ancestral abyss, which emanated a tremor that even made her heart pound.

Whoosh!

Without the slightest hesitation, she flew towards the entrance of the Ancestral Abyss.

The closer she got, the stronger and more domineering the aura of that field that accelerated "aging" became, and the more fiercely it eroded her Dao barrier.

She had to exert all her strength to activate her Yuanling Body, and her body shone brightly, fiercely resisting the Daoist rhythm, emitting a hissing sound, as if ice and snow were melting.

Before long, she arrived at the edge of the Ancestral Abyss.

Looking down, all was pitch black and bottomless, with only the chilling aura of true Daoist essence, like tangible mist, constantly surging from the depths.

Standing here, Chi Xuan felt as if she were facing a sleeping, ancient behemoth that seemed to be breathing out time itself.

At this moment, with no confirmation whatsoever for her speculations along the way, she felt somewhat hesitant.

But in the end, she gritted her teeth, and the clear light around her condensed into a thick cocoon of light, protecting her firmly. Then she leaped into the bottomless abyss!

Whoosh...whoosh...

Falling, falling continuously.

The surrounding area consists of rough rock walls, seemingly engraved with ancient patterns.

The deeper she went, the more terrifying the Daoist aura that accelerated aging became. The cocoon of light was constantly weakened and eroded. In the end, when she was near the bottom of the abyss, Chi Xuan could even vaguely feel the faint loss of her own life force.

Her face was slightly pale, but she still gritted her teeth and persevered.